Getting there is one thing. Gallons of blood, sweat and tears plus countless thoughts have been poured into the production of material designed for mass consumption, only to get halted abruptly in a mailroom, never meeting the powers who could change a music maker’s life.

For a moment, I forgot what the objective of the conversation was. I had no idea I was speaking with someone who majored in psychology and who is an impassioned follower of politics, particularly with the impact that the outcome of Nov. 8 can have on us all.

A year ago, global music and entertainment platform, TIDAL, raised upward of 1.5 million, divvied into grants for a select list of organizations promoting social and racial justice with their inaugural TIDAL X: 1020 Amplified by HTC.

Judging by the talent at the 2016 Made in America Festival, aside from the talent curator, Shaun “Jay-Z” Carter, it’s probably safe to say that the entity proudest of the new lions set to bounce on the music industry is XXL magazine.

In less than two weeks, the show starts. Yet this week, the league finds itself front and center for reasons outside the gridiron. San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick has set it off with what has become a polarizing act.

A reinforced concrete foundation was laid for the Harlem-based hip-hop groups, with teams the likes of Master Don & The Death Committee, the Disco 4, The Crash Crew, The Fearless Four and The Treacherous Three leading the way.

Before I sat down, I knew better. The picture he had hanging on the wall should have been enough to prevent me from jumping into the chair, but after waiting close to an hour for my regular dude to show up, time was of the essence.

In 1993 an aspiring music executive established a label that would eventually lay the foundation of a movement that would literally have a global impact. Fashion, multimedia and food/beverage were a few of the industries that were influenced by the kid from Harlem, Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy, with the golden touch.

If you say it loud enough and often enough, it becomes popular consensus. Eventually it can become so engrained into the collective psyche that it’ll be conceived as “truth.” That’s how rumors and stereotypes get perpetuated and facts gets altered or obliterated.

s you’re reading this column, chances are you’re doing one of three things: (1) traveling to do some last-minute shopping, (2) wrapping/unwrapping presents or (3) returning gifts for what you really want or what’s left.

I guess a telltale sign that you’ve reached a rarified level of success is when after a significant period of time, the moves you make still can elevate or perhaps alter the movements of your peers and, in the case of entertainment, your ardent supporters/fans.

June 29, a surprise performance at the 2015 BET Awards was Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records 20-year reunion performance sent a reminder that despite the flash and controversy associated with the label, at its core was strong music.